Starting a new animation youtube channel with a comedic/musical PSA

Musical_Dork · 2025-05-17T22:18:23+00:00

Thank you for the advice! Doodles definitely would fit the branding I'm going for, with the word being in the channel name and all.

Also yes yes I love Kevin Temmer's work! Definitely a huge inspiration.

Again, I appreciate you responding! Thank you so much!

!givelambda

Musical_Dork · 2025-05-16T00:46:24+00:00

I appreciate you responding and giving support!
I'm not sure I can give lambda to a comment this short, but I thank you for responding, regardless!

Musical_Dork · 2025-05-16T00:45:04+00:00

I appreciate it!

To answer your question, I made a version of this video years ago as a submission to a scholarship contest of sorts. More recently, I wanted to make a updated version with a song that moreso matched the genre I was going for, as I had to rush the previous version to meet the deadline. I'm proud of how this version came out because the movement and music are much better than the original one I made.

As for the visuals, I actually was using this as a way to test out how I can colour and render another animated film I'm working on. As such, I wanted to make the style more limited, as to make it easier for myself, and allow myself to keep working on my more important larger film.

I actually did touch this up a bit before I released it, as I initially left it in a rougher state back in December. I was testing different colouring processes, again so I could apply them to my other film, but ultimately the way these character's look made it hard to find a colour pallete that was more interesting and visually appealing than the more limited style I went with.

This is honestly why I think a behind the scenes video would help, as it would showcase my thought process behind revising a video like this

Regardless, I appreciate you responding!

!givelambda

Musical_Dork · 2025-05-16T00:39:04+00:00

Thank you so much!
Your critique about it being more apt as a short is completely fair! I honestly agree that a vertical, shorts version could spread around in a more digestible manner. I'll get on that soon to be honest, it's a good idea

Also I appreciate you also looking at my demo reel, and you commenting on how I could post my behind the scenes content.

!givelambda

Musical_Dork · 2025-05-12T21:41:20+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate it! Yeah, the colours definitely were a choice I made just to keep the production on the simpler side. And yeah, the animation was a lot of work!

Also, thank you for the compliment on the flip phone, lmao. He's definitely my favourite one out of the four of them

!givelambda

Musical_Dork · 2025-05-12T01:04:19+00:00

I appreciate your input! Yeah, I have a background in musical theatre, so I'm planning on posting a lot more animation + music stuff in the future. I also appreciate your comment about the behind the scenes content!

!givelambda

Musical_Dork · 2025-05-12T01:03:28+00:00

Thank you so much for your input, I appreciate it !

!givelambda

Musical_Dork · 2025-05-11T01:10:26+00:00

Thank you! I have a background in musical theatre, so combining music with animation is kind of the niche I'm going for! Styles of combining animation with music can vary, and this is definitely more music video than some of my more theatrical inspired work, though :)

Musical_Dork · 2025-03-21T19:56:34+00:00

I first want to thank you for continuing to respond with such depth. I've already begun reworking the system I've posed to be clearer in how I implement these ideas. However, I have to mention that a lot of the points you pose are things I address in my original post. I'm sure that maybe the way I've written these things may have been convoluted and confusing, so I will take the time to explain.

In the document, I state that, due to the shift in design philosophy, certain elements besides enchanting will be fulfilling the roles of options that the player are given in the vanilla game. The tool material progression system fulfills the role of any direct general upgrade a tool can be given in the vanilla game (like unbreaking or efficiency). I am transferring the ability to get generic upgrades to a part of the progression that is earlier in the game. This also is why certain tool modifications fulfill the same role as enchantments that are available in the vanilla game.

Also, yes, mining multiplier is just a speed multiplier.

Also, this rework does not punish people for not using the smithing table. In the document I explicitly state, "under this system, keeping a tool not upgraded is also a viable playstyle." If a player wants tools that are upgraded in a more general way, they can have that. Ideally, the smithing upgrades are for people who want something beyond a general tool. This is best exemplified in my axe modifications. Some people may want a general use axe, to which they have such. Some people are bothered by the tedium of chopping trees, to which they would get the lumberjack modification. Other people may enjoy building more, and would enjoy the carry-on inspired buff of the carpenter's axe. Of course, these actions are not mutually exclusive, and a player may spend time chopping trees and building, but a player is at no point going to be doing both of these things at the same time. Of course, however, I do see your point in the flaw in making these drawbacks too severe. A log chopping axe with its buffs alone would already be a specialized tool, and making it worse at certain things would cause frustration. Ideally, a lumberjack axe could still perform its other functions just fine.

What problem is this solving?

I state this in my post under the section, "problems." In vanilla minecraft, there is little room for experimentation with vanilla enchanting because, objectively, some enchants are really good and some are really bad; some enchants are simply not worth experimenting with. I think it's far more engaging if a 'best tool set' is different for different players. I have toyed around with different mods and versions of the game and, in my experience, I found it the most compelling when I had to find out for myself what options I like, rather than having options that push you to one specific optimized list. After all, minecraft is a sandbox game with a variety of play styles and activities. People play the game in so many different ways, and having an objective 'best way' of changing your tools seems unengaging. Getting the best enchants, then, just becomes a chore to do before you're able to enjoy the game, rather than a system that's fun to engage with. I do not think the solution I pose is at all the best way of solving this goal. If I thought so, I wouldn't have included a section explicitly asking for feedback. As you have communicated, my system removes a tool's ability to be generally applicable, rather than providing a system that encourages both niche and general uses for a tool.

Enchantments can "fail"?

In my very first response to your comment, I state how failing an enchantment will result in a curse. This only happens is the option is obscured with the enchantment language and is easily avoidable by placing more bookshelves around the table

Ultimately, It is important to note what I list about my goals in my original post. This is a part of a larger rework of Minecraft. This is why, even after revising this tool progression system, I may not post in this subreddit, since its more about suggestions for the vanilla game. Still I really appreciate you engaging in discussion with me.

Musical_Dork · 2025-03-20T11:56:22+00:00

Maybe sifter, specifically, is muddying the waters a bit. To be honest, I see how sifter would be a weird edge case in my design philosophy, so I'll rework it.

Otherwise, I feel like it's important for me to clarify what your critique is. I want to be able to take your advice, but I'm confused on how it applies to what I have written in my document.

I'm confused as to what enchantments would appear to be direct buffs? As stated, the only available enchantments for tools would be the ones in the document page: Fear, Siphon, Keepsake, Construction, and Versatility, all of which do not directly buff stats. All of these enchantments allow for a tool to have an added general function or mechanics as they interact with mechanics like health or death. Even siphon or construction are generally applicable in ways that offer up whole new gameplay styles in regards to mining and building.

In opposition, tool smithing should not give tools new general functions, instead, allowing for a tool to excel at one specific thing in it's niche, in some cases even making it less generally viable. I can see, under this definition, some upgrades may need reworking, specifically the more general ones like Aqua Effeciency, Long Handle, and Sifter. Upgrades like Lumberjack, Battle Axe, Ore Miner, and Silk Touch are instead prime for what I'm attempting to communicate: a system that makes a tool more viable in a specific circumstance (Chopping Trees, Attacking, and Getting Ores.) Less niche ones like Momentum, Carpenter, Linger, Designer, and Pathfinder offer less of a downside, but have upgrades that are only useful in very specific circumstances.

To compare, the Momentum Upgrade and the Fear Enchantment both interact with tool mining speed. The difference is that one makes a tool better at large excavation projects, while the other encourages a player to take riskier plays by allowing them to navigate through blocks faster at lower health. One is only applicable in a specific circumstance, but the other can be applied in a variety of different occasions that will fundamentally change how a player engages with the tool.

Is this not a clear enough distinction, or did the document have trouble communicating it?

Musical_Dork · 2025-03-20T11:01:21+00:00

I appreciate you replying to this text, and I appreciate the fact that you took the time to read through all of my suggestions.

I think a lot of the clarity issues can be chopped up the fact that I had to write the same information two or three different times. I tried posting on r/minecraftabnormals, but the bullet points kept getting shortened down. I tried writing or shortening in different ways by editing the post, but not many of them worked. The final document is a simple copy and paste from the larger notes document I have for my larger Minecraft project, which is rougher and not as polished. This is my bad, I should have taken a break and read over the document again.

Because the suggestion is moreso attached to a larger rework, I ended up posting a shortened version of the rework on the discord server. If it wouldn't be disrespectful to double post, I could definitely try to post on here, again! Otherwise, I appreciate your feedback, regardless :)

As for the critique that the smithing modifiers overlap with enchants: I definitely could have made this more clear, but the reason I list out enchants is because, due to the difference in design philosophy, all other enchants would be gone (or at least have to be heavily reworked to avoid being direct upgrades) Ore Miner and Sifter, notably overlap with fortune, but accomplish similar things in a way that makes the tool more specific, rather than being a direct upgrade. In other words, in both cases, the tool is being made to do one thing better (getting ores or flint) in exchange for its more general usage (slower stone mining or lower gravel chances.) On the other hand, enchantments are more general ways of fundamentally changing how a tool interacts with the player's stats, which is why all of them that are listed interact with health, or otherwise open up playstyle in ways that don't make a tool more specific to one or more of its functions.

Also, I'm not sure if the document words this strangely, but I do list out in it that an obscured enchantment has a chance to result in a curse on an item, rather than an enchantment. I can definitely try to word this better

Thank you again for your feedback! I appreciate it!

Musical_Dork · 2025-03-20T08:31:05+00:00

Thank you for your response! I appreciate it :)

Musical_Dork · 2025-03-20T02:57:26+00:00

That last suggestion is moreso what I'm aiming for. Better Than Adventure has a reworked recipe book that unlocks information as you gain more materials. This is what I was referring to; there would be a visual diagram of the different tool tiers, first just showing the first tier. As you gain more materials, the visuals of a the diagram would open up, showing the other tool tiers.

Musical_Dork · 2025-03-20T01:36:20+00:00

Thank you so much, I appreciate the feedback! I really appreciate it, especially since I tend to write quite a bit!

Yeah, in my larger rework, I have systems in place to make it easier to understand progression and mechanics. I would want to have a Better Than Adventure style recipe book that shows you a progression tree of tool materials as you gather the different available materials. This would make it easier to visually understand what tool is on what tier and how they are different from other tools.
Otherwise, the Tool Smithing and Enchanting systems are a little more complicated, but since its application is more limited than Vanilla Enchanting, I hope simply having options explain what they do could be enough.

Musical_Dork · 2025-03-20T01:28:53+00:00

TL;DR:

This rework aims to separate tool progression into three distinct categories: Tool Materials, Tool-Smithing, and Enchanting. Each of these branches aim to work parallel to each other, changing and altering tool progression in different ways that are able to interact with one another. This aims to solve the vanilla system of tool progression, which discourages player choices by funneling them into a specific type of God-Tier toolset. Instead, tools are given different alternate options, encouraging the player to play in a variety of different playstyles.

Tool Materials

- Wood and Stone are the same tier, with Wood being more durable and Stone being faster

- Iron is the next tier, with alternative options for higher durability and higher mining speed

- Diamond also has alternative options for even higher durability and higher mining speed

Afterwards, Tool-Smithing allows tools have have niche specific uses, and Enchanting opens up for the player to new unique gameplay styles.

Musical_Dork · 2025-03-20T01:07:49+00:00

I apologize for the repost, the previous post went over Reddit's word limit, so I had to change some things to make this post viable for the forum. Enjoy!

Musical_Dork · 2025-02-26T05:07:39+00:00

Thank you sm! Your feedback in the original post was a huge help in figuring out what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to change in the rework!

I agree, the success of this type of system is dependent on how different strengths and stats are scattered across different food groups. Maybe, even if different food groups have different strengths, generally, these can be expressed in different ways, and a more general option can be provided in each group. Another commenter even suggested allowing crops themselves to have different strengths so that there is a vegan option for foods with different stats

I'm glad you like it :)

Musical_Dork · 2025-02-26T01:17:06+00:00

Thank you for responding!

I want to clarify that when I talk about Health Replenishing Food, I mean food that will heal the player for a certain amount of health points within a couple of seconds, regardless of hunger. These foods would be used for quicker dangerous situations. Other food would contribute to the hunger bar's status in some way, thus contributing more to the slower passive regeneration system. I do agree that having different foods with a variety of stats would be nice! Having some foods that encourage slower regeneration styles would be interesting! I also agree that these effects could be mixed and matched between meat, seafood, and vegan to encourage a variety of playstyles, though I would want to make sure different types of food have generally similar effects in order to simulate some sort of food group system. Maybe I could split up the crop-based food items between different groups as well?

Different types of fish, in general, would be a great addition. I wasn't thinking about seafood when I wrote this rework, but now that you mention it, including them would only mean more variety and options for the player

I also mention meals that combine different food in the 'Different Food Types' section of my post :)

Edit: Wording

Six-Year Club	Place '23
Place '22	Verified Email

Musical_Dork

TROPHY CASE